Tea Events Information
Tasting Class Level 1 (Inspiration)
$180 (up to 6 guests can be included in this price)
Education and inspiration focused tea tasting event. Designed for beginners of tea (in a theory and academic sense) to teach fundamentals — the who/what/where/when/why/how of various types of tea. If I couldn’t inspire someone to embark on the path of tea after taking this course, I would feel humiliated. Though the tea itself is primarily entry level, every shops entry point is different, and I think tea lovers wouldn’t scoff at the choices for this ‘beginners’ course
Tasting Class Level 2 (Cultivation)
$225 (up to 6 guests can be included in this price)
A deeper dive into tea using higher quality materials than level 1. Level 2 is designed for people who already know they like tea and want to immerse themselves in a deeper pool of options, going for a swim in hopefully uncharted flavor territory.
Tasting Class Level 3 (Celebration)
$300 (up to 6 guests can be included in this price)
A tasting session covering the greatest teas in our collection; a truly hedonistic sensory adventure though mountain fields, prehistoric oceans, haute patisseries, alien UFOs, etc. This level of tea is absolutely incredible — it’s deeply moving in a way words fail to convey and has to be experienced to be believed. There is a reason people commit their lives to studying things like wine, whiskey, and coffee; teas like this are the reason why people study tea.
Unstructured
Price Varies (no limits on guests, based on consumption + $30/hr)
The unstructured option really only works if we do the event at Carino on Monday or Tuesday (more on that in the ‘location’ FAQ below). If we discuss options beforehand, I would be happy to customize an event for you in this category rather than curate a tasting class.
If you would like to book an event, please feel free to write an email to me at josh@sommerier.com or call me at 403-607-6460 to discuss availability and options.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: “How long should I expect to stay if I do an event?”
A: Expect about 3 hours. It’s not a requirement, if you need it shortened, that is not an issue for me to do so.
Q: “We want to take your class but there are 8 of us, can we do it? What is the cost?”
A: No problem, realistically I could do up to 18 people without issue. How the number of guests affects the experience and pricing is based on the amount of tea each person will drink. The prices above reflect one pot of tea to be brewed for each round, the fewer people that share a pot, the more ideal it is. Up to 6 can share a pot if everyone is willing to drink just a small cup with no chance for a refill. In the event of 8 guests, 1 pot of tea is not enough. In that case I would recommend you book for 2 sets of the course, then there will be tea left over to share. On the other hand, if only 2 people share a set, they will have an ideal amount of tea to drink.
Q: “What is the best number of people?”
A: Probably 4. When groups get large (over 6) attention and interest from the guests tends to feel scattered, and guests may not feel included enough. Of course this is entirely dependant on the group. I have done several large gatherings that went extremely smooth, but to generalize, the fewer the better.
Q: “When and where can this event take place?”
A: There is a restaurant in Mission, Calgary called Carino. It’s closed on Monday and Tuesday so we could use that space during those days anytime from 10am to 10pm. For other days, give me a location and time and I’ll make it happen (1 weeks notice required). My equipment and I are very portable, we could do this anywhere really. Your business, your house, community centre, a camp site, the top of a mountain, it may sound like a joke, but I’ve done it all already (please consider helping me carry things if you choose the mountain top). Unless the event is unreasonably far away, I wouldn’t need any additional fee.
